SWC160 or Reef Octopus NWB 150

I have been looking at both of these skimmers due to the fact I am planning on replacing my EuroReef RS80. My tank is 100g with a 55g sump that I keep about 30g of water in. I have been doing research on both and have seen good reviews of both, but have also seen some negetives about both. I would like to hear from those that have either one what you think of it. The largest drawback to the Reef Octopus is the metric size of the pvc pipe. I have read the SWC has some start up issues due to the mesh impellor. What do you all think? Is there another skimmer in the $300-400 dollar range I should look into?

 

I would not suggest the NWB-150 for that size water volume. I'd go with the NWB-200 for that...although for just a bit more you could go to the SRO-2000 which has far superior quality and pump. SWC is a coin flip when it comes to its reviews.

 

I've run the NWB-150 on a 75 with 20g sump and it works great, but agree it may be a bit small for your tank. On my 93, with 29 "fuge" and 40g sump, I have an XP2000 that pulls tons of gunk. I think it would definitely be a good option and should be in your price range. The only thing is the XP-2000 should sit in 6-8 inches of water. I built an egg-crate stand to raise it up, but I don't have cabinet height issues.

 

I have an SWC160 and I cannot in good faith recommend that skimmer. A skimmer that you cannot stop and restart is a pain in the arse to say the least. Who wants to remove their skimmer from their sump every time you need to restart it. My SWC is a POS.

 

I have had two Swc skimmers a 120 cone. My current Extreme 200 both skimmers performed very well. I have had no start up issues. Good quality and built well. FWIW